Captain Petroc Gray, commander of the ship-rigged sloop of war, HMS
Kestrel, is drawn into diplomacy, intrigue, and espionage when he
rescues the Freiherr von Dieffenbach and his family off the island of
Rügen in the Baltic. The Freiherr is an important and valuable
connection in the struggle to beat the Napoleonic Continental blockade
of British trade, and his daughter, Silke, is a delightful young woman
with a quick wit, brilliant intelligence, and a keen eye for observing
the events unfolding around them. The ever-changing political alliances
of the Northern European and Scandinavian states-war, sea battles,
storms, death, and Napoleon's "hundred days" leading to the defeat at
Waterloo--all conspire to frustrate Petroc's intention to seek Silke's
hand in marriage, right to the last. But Petroc isn't one to be easily
defeated, whether he is navigating the open seas or matters of the
heart, and Silke stands bright and strong in his life like a beacon in a
safe harbour.
